Albany County School Board to decide future of Slade Elementary site
Albany County School Board prepared on December 9 to vote at a December 10 meeting on competing offers for the former Slade Elementary parcel in north Laramie, a decision that could shape local housing and school funding priorities. The outcome matters to residents because it pits immediate revenue for school facilities against a coalition backed workforce housing plan aimed at stabilizing recruitment and retention for teachers, nurses and other early career professionals.
The Albany County School Board entered a high stakes decision point on December 9 as trustees prepared to vote the following day on offers for the old Slade Elementary site in north Laramie. The property has attracted two sharply different paths: a community coalition working with the Albany County Housing and Land Trust proposed a workforce housing development of roughly 34 townhome style dwellings priced for teachers, nurses and other early career professionals, while other bidders have offered as much as about $1 million for the parcel.
City leaders supported a city purchase of the site at its appraised value of $310,000 to enable the workforce housing plan, and local housing advocates and a visible group of residents turned out to recent school board meetings to press trustees to prioritize long term community housing needs. Laramie Mayor Sharon Cumbie also spoke in support of the coalition and the city approach. Opponents and competing bidders urged trustees to accept the highest available offer in order to maximize proceeds that could be reinvested in school facilities.
Trustees face a policy and fiduciary choice between immediate financial relief for the district and a coordinated community investment that supporters say could address chronic workforce shortages. Local employers have cited housing affordability as a barrier to recruiting and retaining early career staff, and proponents argue modestly priced homes near town could reduce turnover and commuting, with downstream benefits for schools and health care providers. Those benefits are diffuse and long term, while the higher sale offers present a concrete infusion of funds for capital projects and maintenance.
The decision will test how local government and civic institutions balance short term budgetary pressures against strategic land use and housing policy. Public turnout at recent board meetings signaled strong community engagement on both sides, underscoring that the vote carries implications beyond a single parcel. Trustees were scheduled to cast their votes on December 10, and the outcome will shape whether the Slade site becomes a targeted workforce housing development or a source of funds for school district priorities.
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